Comprehension: News Report 7th December 2012

Watch the video below and answer the questions True or False.

1. Mark Turner takes photographs professionally.

a. True

b. False

2. Carlos Agang wasn't injured when he was found.

a. True

b. False

3. The operations manager at Stamco Ship Management thought the accident was due to human error.

a. True

b. False

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Transcript and Answers to News Report 7th December 2012

Like some dragon from the deep, a whale rises majestically to the surface and spouts a huge ball of fire from his blowhole.
Of course this stunning image is really nothing more than an optical illusion as sunlight is refracted through the jet of moist air creating a orange glow.

American amateur photographer Mark Turner, who went on the whale watching trip with his 82-year-old dad, said: 'We had a professional photographer with us as a guide, and on the first day, he told us about the fire breathing whale phenomenon that happens when the sun is low in the sky and is backlighting the whale.

'I immediately decided it was going to be my goal to take a picture of that.
'We were getting ready to set anchor for the evening and there were three whales swimming between our boat and a beautiful Alaskan sunset. As they spouted water from their blow holes, we could see the effect the sun had on the mist. The lower the sun got on the horizon, the more brilliant the colours.

Rescue workers found a 54-year-old man clinging to a boulder by a river – injured but alive – two days after a powerful typhoon ravaged the south of the Philippines, killing at least 379 people. Hundreds are still missing.

All Carlos Agang had to eat was coconut and water until he was found in a tattered shirt with a fractured leg and bruises by a group of rescue volunteers in Compostela Valley, the province worst hit by Typhoon Bopha.

"I can't believe it. I didn't expect to see people survive two days after they were swept by flood and mud," a fire volunteer said.

Rescuers also found a pregnant woman on the other side of the river with her one-year old son after escaping floods that swamped their house.

The Dutch Coastguard has called off a search for six crew still missing after their cargo ship collided with another vessel and sank in the North Sea.

Five bodies have so far been recovered but officials said there was "zero" chance of finding survivors in the icy waters.

"We have now stopped and we will not begin again tomorrow," Coastguard spokesman Peter Westenberg said.

The Dutch defence ministry said the North Sea was treacherous when the  148m Baltic Ace collided with the 134m container ship Corvus J near busy shipping lanes, some 40 miles off the coast of the southern Netherlands.

However, the operations manager at Stamco Ship Management Co Ltd, which managed the Baltic Ace, said the conditions were normal at the time of the collision.

"You cannot control some things. This happened in good weather, normal weather. There was good visibility, so I feel most probably there was a human error," he said.

Answers:

1. b
2. b
3. a


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News Report 1st December 2012

Watch the video below and answer the questions True or False.

1. Theprank happened on the show 'Breaking Magic'.
a. True
b. False

2. Stephen King's novel was Number 1 on Amazon's Kindle chart before "The Long Run".
a. True
b. False

3. The secret Santa wishes to remain anonymous.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

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Transcript and Answers: News Report 1st December 2012

A famous US magician has been seriously injured after a TV host set his head on fire live on television.
Wayne Houchin was appearing on a show in the Dominican Republic when, in an apparently unscripted prank, its host dropped flammable liquid on his head, setting him alight.
Houchin's own crew, who were at the show, rushed to save him and put out the flames - but not before he had suffered burns to his head, face, neck and right hand.
The illusionist, who hosts Breaking Magic on the Discovery Channel, was rushed to hospital where he says he is "in pain" but recovering.
Houchin, wrote on Facebook after the incident: "I was not aware he was going to do this. This was a criminal act.


In his memoir," The Long Run,"  Mishka Shubaly chronicles his journey from "irreverent young drunk" to ultra-runner. The author sobered up by running five miles at a time, then 10, then 50.
It was Shubaly's editor who first suggested he write about his road to recovery.
"I told him point-blank, 'No one wants to hear me cry about how I messed up my own life,' " Shubaly said. "And I was totally wrong."
When "The Long Run" was published on Amazon's Kindle Singles list in 2011, it was No. 1, bumping Stephen King out of the top spot.
The book's popularity may have been a surprise to Shubaly, but experts know he's not alone in using exercise to overcome addiction. Groups have been popping up around the country to help people stay sober by staying active.


A wealthy American businessman posing as a "secret Santa" is giving away $100,000 in $100 bills to survivors of Superstorm Sandy.
The benefactor is from Kansas City, Missouri and insists on not being named or photographed.
On Thursday, he spent the day in New Jersey and New York thrusting crisp bills into the hands of stunned residents.
"It's about the random acts of kindness," he said.
"I'm just setting an example, and if 10% of the people who see me emulate what I'm doing, anybody can be a Secret Santa."
In Staten Island, his motorcade passed homes surrounded by debris before stopping at a disaster centre run by volunteers.

Answers:

1. b
2. a
3. a

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News Report 26th November 2012

Watch the video below and answer the questions True or False.

1. There were only 250 mountain gorillas left in Africa's, Virunga Mountains.
a. True
b. False

2. Macaon's art requires a lot of skill.
a. True
b. False

3. Marcus Miller and his band performed in Schattdorf, Switzerland.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

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Transcript and Answers

When renowned zoologist Diane Fossey, the inspiration behind the film Gorillas in the Mist, was murdered in 1985 there were just 250 mountain gorillas left in Africa’s Virunga mountains.

But 27 years on, numbers of the gentle giants have doubled, thanks to a group of doctors that her work inspired.

The Gorilla Doctors take care of injured and critically ill gorillas and provide medical treatment and quarantine of orphans, with as many as eight gorillas cared for at any one time.

Starting out with the first Gorilla Doctor, Dr James Foster, the group now employs 16 vets and operates across three countries - the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.

To a lot of men, Japanese artist Macaon has the perfect job and it's not difficult to see why.

He gets to drink beer and soda and then recycles the cans by twisting them into much-loved  superstars from comic books, films and video games.

Macaon transforms the old aluminium into iconic figures like Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story, a Decepticon from Transformers, a mask of Star Wars villain Darth Vader and video play station hero Super Mario.

While childhood favourite Pikachu from the Pokémon TV series is created using Japanese drinks in a bright golden yellow.

Each can is selected for colour, and painstakingly cut up and bent into position with the skill of an origami master. 

Other examples of the artist's amazing work can be seen on his Japanese website.

Jazz bassist Marcus Miller and 10 members of his band have been injured following a serious bus crash in Switzerland. The driver of the vehicle died in the accident, but none of the other passengers appeared to have life-threatening injuries.

After performing in Monaco on Saturday night, the Marcus Miller Band was en route to the Netherlands, for a gig. Driving down the A2 motorway, near the Swiss town of Schattdorf, the bus reportedly toppled as it went around a bend. The bus was carrying 13 people,the driver, Miller, and  his band and crew. The survivors were all taken to hospital. Miller and two others will soon be released, while others will be kept overnight under observation.

Police confirmed that no other vehicles were involved in the crash but did not give details of the cause of the accident.

Answers:

1. a  True

2. a  True

3. b  False

News Report 19th November 2012

Watch the video below and answer the questions, True or False.

1. Ikea has used political prisoners very recently to make its furniture.
a. True
b. False

2. The Algarve has a high season for tourism.
a. True
b. False

3. Ruth Komuntale went to University in the U.S.

a. True
b. False

For answers and transcript, see below:

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Transcript

Ikea has said it "deeply regrets" the use of political prisoners as forced labour in communist East Germany by some of its suppliers.

The Swedish furniture giant asked accountants Ernst & Young to look into the matter, dating back 25-30 years.

The study indicates that political and criminal prisoners were involved in manufacturing for Ikea suppliers.

It also said that Ikea representatives at the time knew that political prisoners were possibly used.

In the past Ikea had given contracts to the East German government.

Former political prisoners of the feared secret police, said they worked on the furniture, leading to Ikea commissioning the Ernst & Young report in May this year.

Those former prisoners may now expect compensation.

A tornado has hit Portugal's popular holiday hotspot the Algarve, tossing and flipping vehicles - some with people inside - and causing flooding in areas.

Hundreds of people have been left homeless, trees uprooted, balconies, roof tiles and framework ripped off, and windows shattered as the violent winds struck the region.

Eight people were injured and taken to hospital for treatment. Firefighters said most of those injured had to be pulled out of overturned vehicles.

The Algarve is a popular tourism destination, although November is low season.

Tornadoes are not common in Europe, but do occur occasionally in the northwest and south of the continent.

An African princess may not have come to America to find a man to marry, but she did just that, after falling for an American accountant. The two wed last Saturday.

Ugandan Princess Ruth Komuntale, 23, graduated from American University in Washington D.C. last year. Her fiance, 30-year-old Christopher Thomas, works at the Discovery Channel in nearby Silver Spring. He proposed at a local Ruth’s Chris Steak House, according to an article on American University's alumni news site.

In Uganda, the princess’s life is dissected in tabloids and her face often graces magazine covers. In D.C., she kept her royal status quiet and cautiously began getting to know her American beau, according to the American University article.

It wasn’t until their engagement that the Missouri native truly became aware of the princess’s role in Uganda’s Toro kingdom.

Answers:

1. b

2. a

3. a

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